Both sides of the Park University basketball program have begun conference play following their doubleheader matchup against Graceland on Saturday, Nov. 26. The men secured a 75-69 victory, while the women fell 62-57.

Early takeaways from the Men’s team so far

The men’s team is currently 3-3 heading into their matchup against Evangel on Wednesday, Nov. 30. They have kept a consistent team scoring average at about 77 points per game. With several close finishes, their largest deficit was an 80-69 loss to the Georgetown Tigers.

The men’s team has maintained a positive win-loss record for the past four seasons. Their best record of 21-7 was achieved during the 2019-2020 season.

Since arriving at Park this year, junior guard Lucas Kroft has recorded a 29-point performance against Florida College on Saturday, Nov. 11. Junior team captain Augusto Hausmann and sophomore guard DeMarcus Hudson have each had several double-digit scoring games so far.

Ahead of their game against Evangel, the Pirates look to duplicate their previous 88-62 win last season. The Valor holds a record of 6-1, beating out conference competition like Culver- Stockton. Nonetheless, the Pirates have beaten the Wildcats also in their last two meetings.

Should the Pirates keep their consistent scoring averages, they’ll put themselves in position to win over Evangel. The men have won every time they score over 70 points.

Early takeaways from the Women’s team so far

The women’s team looks to improve on last season’s record of 9-16. Their last positive record was 16-13 in the 2014-2015 season. Conference play has been an area of struggle in recent years. Despite starting 6-0 last season, the Pirates finished 3-16 in the Heart of America Conference.

Defense has written the story of their record so far. The Pirates have not won when they allow 60 points or more. However, in both of their wins, they allowed no more than 51 points.

Nonetheless, the Pirates have kept offensive forces such as junior team captain Taylor Shelby and sophomore forward Makayla Artis. Shelby averages 12.5 points per game, while Artis averages 9.3 points and shoots over 40 percent from the field.

The Pirates have also made strong additions such as junior guard Donetria McGee, averaging 15 points per game since arriving at Park.

With both teams continuing to build from last year, Park University has a chance to make steady improvements. You can tune into live coverage at the Heart Conference Network.